Chelsea v Wigan - LIVE

09 February 2013 01:07

Captain John Terry is out of Chelsea's Barclays Premier League clash with Wigan after suffering inflammation of his knee.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech (finger) and Demba Ba (broken nose) are expected to be fit, with the striker in line to play with a protective face mask, while Eden Hazard is available again after serving his three-match ban for his dismissal in the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at Swansea.

David Luiz is available following a calf injury, meaning only John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses, who are at the African Nations Cup with Nigeria, and long-term absentee Oriol Romeu (knee) are out.

Rafael Benitez insists Chelsea are working hard to end the poor run of form which has led to questions over whether the Spaniard will complete his spell as interim boss at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have three wins from their last 10 matches and are without a victory in four ahead of tomorrow's Premier League clash with Wigan, with their latest slip coming in a 3-2 defeat against Newcastle last weekend.

It is hard to tell whether owner Roman Abramovich is losing patience with Benitez, who replaced Roberto Di Matteo in November, but never in his 10-year tenure has the Russian had three managers in the same campaign.

The Blues would slip to fourth ahead of kick-off against Wigan if Tottenham beat Newcastle in tomorrow's lunchtime match.

"We know the problems and we are working on the solutions," said Benitez, when asked if he expected to see out his short-term deal until the end of the season.

"The main thing is that you can score two goals, and then you are 2-0 up at half-time, then you have to finish the games.

"Against Newcastle we scored two goals, you cannot make these mistakes (to concede three). You have to make sure we control the game.

"We could have won all the games we didn't win. It's a question of sometimes doing the right things at the right moment, having a little bit of luck, being more clinical, not making mistakes in defence.

"The team is doing well in terms of the performance and we have to improve the results, especially the games we were winning."

Chelsea will be expected to defeat a Wigan side battling relegation, but Benitez will guard against complacency.

"All teams are difficult to beat," he added.

"Wigan have won more points away, so we know there's no room for complacency.

"We have to sure that we do the right things from the first minute to the last minute."

Wigan captain Gary Caldwell is rated at 50/50 to be fit.

The defender pulled out of Scotland's midweek friendly with a recurrence of a hip problem and manager Roberto Martinez admits he is a doubt for the Stamford Bridge clash.

Fellow centre-back Antolin Alcaraz is still edging his way back from a groin problem, Emmerson Boyce and Adrian Lopez are still nursing hamstring injuries but Ivory Coast striker Arouna Kone has returned from the African Nations Cup and is fit, if a little underweight according to Martinez.

Despite Chelsea's wobbles against Reading and Newcastle, which has seen them earn just a point, Martinez does not believe now represents a particularly easier time to play them.

The Latics have lost five of their six Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge and have beaten Chelsea only once - at home in 2008 - in 15 league meetings.

"We are at that stage of the season where we can't afford to look who we are playing against," the Wigan boss said.

"We know when you go away from home in this league you need to be very good, when you go to the top-four teams you need to be perfect.

"We need to build on the two points we got against Stoke and Southampton."